Phi’s latest puzzle marks the transition from working week into weekend for many of us solvers and bloggers.
I found this to be a tougher than average Phi crossword, and I needed to plug away at it, first to find the correct answers and then to parse them to my satisfaction. I am not totally convinced that I have arrived at what was intended by our setter, so I would appreciate confirmation (or otherwise) of the “not carrying through” device at 13 and of the definition at 23.
My favourite clues today were 5D and 27, for their smooth surfaces; and 17, for originality and cruciverbal content.
I have looked for a theme today but have once again drawn a blank. Has anyone else spotted anything, I wonder?
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS
|
||
| 1 | PRESSIE |
Hit first button – ultimately receive gift (7)
|
| PRESS 1 (=hit first button, cryptically) + <receiv>E (“ultimately” means last letter only) | ||
| 5 | WEATHER |
Get through article about sport? On the contrary (7)
|
| THE (=article, in grammar) in WEAR (=(to) sport, i.e. item of clothing); e.g. to weather the storm is to get through it, survive it | ||
| 9 | LEMUR |
Island creature, flightless bird, caught between both sides (5)
|
| EMU (=flightless bird) in L R (=both sides, i.e. left and right); lemurs are animal species endemic to the island of Madagascar | ||
| 10 | LIGHTNING |
Unimportant Nationalist in government for only a brief time? (9)
|
| LIGHT (=unimportant, trivial) + N (=nationalist) + IN + G (=government); used adjectivally, lightning means extremely fast, hence “for only a brief time” | ||
| 11 | CROWN AGENT |
Government-appointed businessman sadly wrong about America, investing in US money (5,5)
|
| [A (=America) in *(WRONG)] in CENT (=US money); “sadly” is anagram indicator; according to Chambers, a crown agent is one of a British body of business agents operating internationally, appointed by the Overseas Development Administration | ||
| 13 | STUN |
Surprise publicity event not carrying through (4)
|
| STUN<t> (=publicity event); “not carrying through” seems to suggest that the word is incomplete, hence the last letter is dropped | ||
| 15 | NOTATE |
Turned on, tense and worried? Write music (6)
|
| NO (ON; “turned” indicates reversal) + T (=tense, in grammar) + ATE (=worried) | ||
| 16 | MINORITY |
Youth? Fresh years, including golden one (8)
|
| [OR (=golden in heraldry) + I (=one)] in [MINT (=fresh, pristine) + Y (=years)]; minority means the state of being under the age of majority, hence “youth” | ||
| 18 | FULL MOON |
Entertainment penning lines linked to low aspect of heavenly body (4,4)
|
| [LL (=lines) + MOO (=(to) low, of cattle)] in FUN (=entertainment) | ||
| 19 | JAGGED |
Irregular Judge, old, accepting $1000 (6)
|
| J (=judge) + [G (=$1000, i.e. grand) in AGED (=old)]; a jagged edge is an irregular one | ||
| 22 | ERGO |
Thus good is enshrined in lead character, though not at first (4)
|
| G (=good) in <h>ERO (=lead character; “though not at first” means first letter is dropped) | ||
| 23 | SEPULCHRAL |
Dressed up cellars, bringing in touch of hope – no longer this? (10)
|
| H<ope> (“touch of” means first letter only) in *(UP CELLARS); “dressed” is anagram indicator; sepulchral means funereal, gloomy, dismal, so no longer describes the atmosphere when the cellars are “dressed up” with “a touch of hope”! | ||
| 25 | BACTERIUM |
Source of disease: cure a bit tricky, needing months (9)
|
| *(CURE A BIT) + M (=months); “tricky” is anagram indicator | ||
| 26 | HEAVY |
Shout about a very intimidating presence (5)
|
| [A + V (=very)] in HEY (=shout, to attract attention); a heavy is a strong man employed to intimidate others, hence “intimidating presence” | ||
| 28 | GALAHAD |
Associate of Arthur held after party (7)
|
| GALA (=party) + HAD (=held, kept); the reference is to Arthurian legend | ||
| 29 | RELATED |
Told about particular backsliding, one being allowed to escape (7)
|
| RE- (=about, regarding) + LATED (DETA<i>L (=particular, as noun; “one (=I) being allowed to escape” means letter “i” is dropped; “backsliding” indicates reversal) | ||
| DOWN
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||
| 1 | PELICAN |
Large bird in lake, one tucking into nut (7)
|
| [L (=large, in sizes) + I (=one)] in PECAN (=nut) | ||
| 2 | ELM |
Guy looking up, dismissing a tree (3)
|
| M<a>LE (=guy); “dismissing a” means letter “a” is dropped; “looking up” indicates vertical reversal | ||
| 3 | SPRINGTIME |
Bound to have married during relationship in October down under? (10)
|
| SPRING (=bound, jump) + [M (=married) in TIE (=relationship, link)]; when it is autumn (=October) in Europe, it is spring in Australia and New Zealand | ||
| 4 | EULOGY |
Praise upholding Christmas, omitting line about fireplace item? (6)
|
| LOG (=fireplace item) in EUY (YU<l>E (=Christmas; “omitting line (=L)” means letter “l” is dropped; “upholding” indicates vertical reversal) | ||
| 5 | WAGON-LIT |
Hang on – about to leave Holland in a French carriage? (5-3)
|
| [GO (=to leave) + NL (=Holland, i.e. the Netherlands)] in WAIT (=hang on); a wagon-lit is a sleeping carriage on a train, in French | ||
| 6 | ALTO |
A latitude supported by tenor over another singer (4)
|
| A + L (=latitude) + T (=tenor) + O (=over, on cricket scorecard) | ||
| 7 | HAIR-TRIGGER |
Attitude when occupying height: scaffolder ready to go off at any moment (4-7)
|
| [AIR (=attitude, aura) + HT (=height)] + RIGGER (=scaffolder); according to Chambers, when used adjectivally, hair-trigger means “responding to the slightest stimulus”, hence “ready to go off at any moment” | ||
| 8 | REGENCY |
Former Queen upset business, sacking leader in interim period (7)
|
| RE (ER=former Queen, i.e. Elizabeth Regina; “upset” indicates vertical reversal) + <a>GENCY (=business; “sacking leader” means first letter is dropped); a regency is an interim period between the reign of two sovereigns | ||
| 12 | ONTOLOGICAL |
Record of performance in unusual location regarding essential study? (11)
|
| LOG (=record of performance) in *(LOCATION); “unusual” is anagram indicator; ontology is the part of metaphysics which deals with the nature and essence of things, hence “regarding essential study” | ||
| 14 | LOW-ALCOHOL |
See company attending house surrounded by barrier, promising no drunken antics? (3-7)
|
| LO (=see, as exclamation) + {[CO (=company) + HO (=house)] in WALL (=barrier)} | ||
| 17 | LOVEBIRD |
Sweetheart or duck, in crossword terms? (8)
|
| Cryptically (“in crossword terms”), “duck” could be clued as “lovebird” since “duck” is a zero score (in cricket), like love (in tennis), as well as a bird! | ||
| 18 | FEEDBAG |
Complaint raised about Democratic Attorney-General’s source of eats (7)
|
| [D (=democratic) in FEEB (BEEF (=complaint, moan); “raised” indicates vertical reversal)] + AG (=Attorney-General) | ||
| 20 | DELAYED |
Guided up? Yes, getting day behind schedule (7)
|
| DEL (LED=guided, steered; “up” indicates vertical reversal) + AYE (=yes, i.e. affirmative response) + D (=day) | ||
| 21 | SUMMER |
The whole attraction of Nice, say, in warmer period (6)
|
| SUM (=the whole, total) + MER (=attraction of Nice, say, i.e. the French word for sea) | ||
| 24 | MESH |
Part of some shimmering feature of lingerie? (4)
|
| Hidden (“part of”) in “soME SHimmering” | ||
| 27 | ACT |
Rising cheers surrounding Conservative legislation (3)
|
| C (=Conservative) in AT (TA=cheers, i.e. thanks, colloquially; “rising” indicates vertical reversal) |
Rest easy, STUNT being truncated into STUN, 13(ac), must be the play….though it took me some time to see it. Original and smart. I like it.
Sorry, forgot 23(ac); and again, parsed OK, as I found it. And again, it wasn’t a quick click, for me.
SEPULCHRAL… will we ever see it again?
I hope not.
Great setting + blog, thanks Phi + RR
I found this a little harder than usual. There is a Wodehouse novel called “A Pelican at Blandings” in which the main character is called Galahad. There is also one called Summer Lightning. I feel there will be more.
I can find Heavy Weather and Full Moon
Thanks both. LOI was LOVEBIRD which I thought was the best of the lot. Ref SEPULCHRAL the explanation seems very plausible, though I’m not the biggest fan of a clue which defines what something isn’t, rather than what it is.
It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn’t marked the 50th anniversary of Wodehouse’s death back in February. Since I have (finally) got round to the Blandings novels, they seemed a good bet.
The end of the year often sees me catching up on overlooked anniversaries…